Railway-tie.



.w. PRATT & J. GALAHAN. RAILWAY TIE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 3, 1910.

982,867. Patented Jan.31,1911.v

WILLIAM PRATT AND JOHN CALAHAN, OF GRAND VALLEY, COLORADO.

' RAILWAY-TIE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 31, 1911.

Application filed November 2, 1910. Serial No. 590,326.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM PRATT and JOHN CALAIIAN, citizens of the United States, residin at Grand Valley, in the county of Garfield and State of Colorado, have invented new and useful Improve ments in Railway-Ties, of which the following is a specification.

Our present invention pertains to railway ties of the metallic type and it has for its object to provide an economical and practical metallic tie, adapted to hold itself in the ballast or road bed against movement in any direction, and also adapted to form a solid support for rails and to hold the same down and against lateral movement even when great lateral pressure is exerted against the rails.

With the foregoing in mind the invention will be fully understood from the following description and claims when the same are read in connection with the drawings accompanying and forming part of this specification, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view showing our novel tie and rails secured thereto in accordance with our invention. Fig. 2 is an inverted plan ofthe same. Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken in the plane indicated by the line 33 of'Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a detail view taken at a right angle to Fig. 3 and in the plane indicated by the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Similar numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all of the views of the drawings.

The body of our novel tie is formed of metal consonant with its purpose and coinprises a top wall 1, side walls 2 depending from the top wall and adapted to prevent casual movement of the tie in the direction of its width in the road bed or ballast, and end walls 3 depending from the top wall and calculated to prevent casual movement of the tie in the direction of its length. The said body is preferably, though not necessarily, curved to a slight extent in the direction of its length, Fig. 3.

In the top wall 1 of the body are formed crosswise grooves 4, which are designed to receive the bases of the rails 5, and are of a depth about equal to that of the said bases and of a Width to enable their side walls to support the bases and at the same time efi'ectually prevent lateral movement of the rails. This will be appreciated as an important advantage when it isborne in mind that it relieves the bolts hereinafter described from all strain due -to lateral pressure exerted against the rails, and at the same time retains the rails at the proper distance apart while permitting free expansion and contraction of the rails.

Disposed in the body under the top wall 1 and between the side wallsQ are metallic blocks 6, which are riveted or otherwise fixed to the said top wall 1,as indicated M7, and formed in thetop wall 1 and the said blocks 6 are threaded apertures 8, of which there are, by preference, two adjacent each' side of each groove 4. These apertures 8are provided for the reception of bolts 9 which are headed after the manner of ordinary railway spikes, and have threaded shanks adapted to be turned into the threaded apertures and in that way strongly secured to the body top 1 and the blocks (5.

The blocks (5 serve the two fold function of forming solid supports for the rails and atl'ording strong connections for the bolts 9, and they also serve to support and reinforce those portions of the top wall 1 that are weakened by the formation of the crosswise grooves 4.

In assembling the parts of our improvement, the tie is properly placed, and the rails are seated in the grooves 4 after which the bolts S) are turned into the threaded apertures in the body-top l and the blocks 6 until the bolt heads bear upon the upper sides of the rail bases. \Vith this done the rails will manifestly be securely held to the tie body and against lateral movement on the body, and at the same time the rails will be solidly supported, and casual displacement of the bolts will be prevented, this latter being due in large measure to the long threaded bearings afforded by the body top 1 and the blocks (5 together, and the large amount of friction between the bolts on the one hand and the body top 1 and blocks on the other.

\Vhile we have shown and described one form of our invention, it is to be understood that woare not limited to the details or the form or relative arrangement of parts as disclosed, but that modifications may be made therein within the scope of our appended elaims without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having described our invention, what we clailtmand desireto secure by Letters-Pat- 1. In ametallic railway tie, the combination of a body having a top wall and Walls depending from said top wall and also having in the upper side of the said top wall crosswise grooves which extend throughout the width thereof and are adapted to snugly receive rail bases, and further having apertures in the top wall at opposite sides of the crosswise grooves; blocks fixed to the under side of the top wall of the body and having threaded apertures registered with the apertures in said top wall; and bolts having threaded shanks extending through the apertures in the body top and into and engaging the threaded apertures in the blocks and also having heads adapted to be disposed above the bases of rails seated in the crosswise grooves.

' 2. In a metallic railway tie, the combination of a body having a top wall and walls depending from said top wall and also having in the-upper sideof the said top wall crosswise grooves which extend throughout the width thereof and are adapted to snugly receive rail bases, blocks fixed to the underside of the top wall of the body, and bolts having shanks extending through the top wall of the body and the blocks and secured to the latter and also having heads adapted to be disposed above the bases of rails seated in the crosswise grooves.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WVILLIAM PRATT. JOHN OALAHAN.

Witnesses:

- B. A. WALLACE,

JESS. VAN CLEAvE. 

